One measure identified as a possible source of reducing fuel consumption and improving fuel economy for machines and vehicles is the reduction of engine idling time, or the reduction of time during conditions which the engine continues to consume fuel but is not being utilized to provide motive power to a machine or vehicle and/or energy to the systems thereof. Attempts have been made to develop systems which shut down the engine during such idling conditions and subsequently restart the engine when needed to provide power to a machine or vehicle. Although existing systems may reduce engine idling time and the consumption of fuel to a degree, such systems may nonetheless be characterized by drawbacks. In particular, some existing systems may be characterized by a lack of responsiveness or other capabilities to achieve a quick engine restart, and additionally, or alternatively, may alter and/or interfere with an operator's desired or expected interaction with and operation of the machine or vehicle. Additionally, existing systems may not provide available or sufficient power necessary to maintain the operation of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system or other similar climate control system in order to adequately maintain the temperature of the cab or operator station required for operator comfort. Furthermore, some existing systems may employ hydraulic or electric launch assist power to initiate movement and propel the machine or automobile during restart prior to the availability of engine-driven power, which may compensate for the system's inability to rapidly provide engine-driven power upon a restart command. Such systems may be characterized by significant additional costs and complexity and may only be practical for implementation in small-scale machines and/or automobiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,322,473 (the '473 patent) to Hilberer is directed to a process for controlling a start-stop operation of a vehicle having a hybrid drive with an internal-combustion engine and an electric motor, as well as a service brake with an ABS and an electric parking brake. In particular, the '473 patent discloses the step of determining, monitoring and analyzing performance parameters of the vehicle, the internal-combustion engine, the electric motor, the service brake and the electric parking brake. The '473 patent also discloses the step of automatically releasing the electric parking brake in the case of a starting prompt because of determined performance parameters. The '473 patent additionally discloses driving the vehicle by the electric motor for the start and starting the internal-combustion engine by the electric motor if the internal-combustion engine is switched off. The process disclosed by the '473 patent also includes the steps of driving the vehicle by the electric motor and the internal-combustion engine, activating a generator operation of the electric motor in the case of a braking prompt because of determined performance parameters, activating the service brake, and automatically locking the electric parking brake when the vehicle is stopped after a previously definable deceleration time.
The present disclosure is directed to mitigating or eliminating one or more of the drawbacks discussed above.